PARKINSON'S LAW
YOU WORK WITHIN THE TIME GIVEN.
Parkinson’s law is the theory that our demand for a resource increases to meet the supply of it.
Ok, I know that sentence was a bit of a snore fest, so let's try that again with my all-time favourite Parkinson's Law example - toothpaste.
You know when it's time to polish those pearly whites and you get to crack open a brand-new tube of toothpaste. You squeeze out one of those long perfect toothpasty waves just like you see in the ads, cos it feels like that tube is going to go on forever. Ammiright?
Fast-forward a couple of weeks and you're rubbing your toothbrush along the back of the tube, trying to squeeze out that last little teeny-weeny, barely-there drop of minty paste. Funnily enough - your teeth will get brushed just as well. This my friends is Parkinson’s Law.
You will always figure out a way to get the job done with the means you have available.
This is why you will be able to get super-human amounts of things done you are pressed for time, and why it takes you eons to get a load of washing done on your day off.
Lucille Ball knew what was up: “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” Why? Because someone with limited time will get that shit done in the blink of an eye cos they got more things to tend too.
THE GOOD NEWS? YOU CAN MAKE THIS WORK TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!
See if you have a deadline to finish that report before end of business Friday, somewhere shy of Friday 5pm you’ll be shooting off that email. But, just imagine your lovely partner wants to whisk you away for a long weekend - you will be damn sure to figure out how to get that report done by Thursday eve. You will work within the resources (or in this example time restraints) available to you.
So how to I make the most out of Parkinson’s Law in my business?
My time
One of my non-negotiables when creating my business was to have one day off during the week to be with my daughter, so I only work 4 days a week. Something that people often about - “how on Earth do you do it”. Well, when all you have is 4 days available to you (and a feisty little girl keeping you accountable) you make it work.
If you were to take a peek in my calendar you would see my week broken up in to brightly-coloured blocks which dictate what work I will do when and how long I have to do it. Time blocking is a productivity trick which combines the power or batching tasks (grouping like-tasks to save brainpower) and Parkinson’s Law, by deciding ahead of time how long I have to complete said like-tasks.
My money
When it comes to my finances I follow the Profit First method. Parkinson’s Law comes into play as I have an expense budget to work within. Rather than first spending my money willy-nilly on any program, tool, course or fancy stationary I want and then later realising I may have overspent.
The same way I could easily spend €300 at the grocery store if I grabbed whatever I wanted, versus setting myself a budget of €100 and still managing to fill my trolley with everything I need.
People thrive within limitations. I know that sounds kid of harsh. But think about it. When you can do anything, with all the time in the world, we get stuck in indecisive mode and waste a whole bunch of whatever we have on your hands, whether it be time, money or toothpaste. Give us 3 options to pick from, a set amount of time to do it and a budget to stick within, and we will get that shit done pronto.